Bengaluru-based deeptech startup Alt Carbon issued Asia’s largest batch of verified carbon dioxide removal credits through enhanced rock weathering, delivering the first tranche to Japanese shipping major Mitsui O.S.K. Lines within eight months of signing an offtake deal.
The company did not disclose the size of the tranche, but said it represents the region’s largest verified ERW issuance to date.
Alt Carbon delivered its first verified credits from the Darjeeling Revival Project. The initiative aims to revive heritage tea estates and nearby rice paddies while building a hub for large-scale CO2 removal.
The company applies enhanced rock weathering by spreading waste basalt rock across farms. The basalt reacts with rainwater, locking carbon into stable bicarbonate ions. These ions travel to the ocean over time and settle as calcium carbonate for thousands of years.
The method also boosts soil health, balances pH and improves yields across the Himalayan foothills.
Rapid Expansion in the Himalayas
Alt Carbon has onboarded 60,000 acres in six months. It has also expanded its Darjeeling lab, which is expected to issue 100,000 credits a year from 2026.
The firm said the milestone strengthens India’s role in voluntary carbon markets. It also noted that all underlying data and calculations are publicly available on Isometric’s Enhanced Weathering Protocol, the most scientifically rigorous on the market.
Co-founder and CEO Shrey Agarwal noted that India needs $1 trillion in climate finance by 2030 to adapt its soil, rivers, and cities to the impacts of climate change.
“Globally, we need to remove 10 billion tons of CO2 every year by 2050. We’re nowhere close to these targets. While the world is debating carbon markets at COP, we are proving it at scale here in India,” he said in a statement.
Scientific Architecture and Academic Backing
ERW is the most complicated when it comes to measurement, reporting and verification in climate science. Accurately measuring CO2 removal requires high-resolution field data, careful soil sampling, rigorous geochemical analysis and clear separation of natural and enhanced weathering.
“This first issuance will further our mission to build the underlying scientific and data infrastructure, enabling gigaton-scale carbon removal in South Asia,” said Agarwal.
Alt Carbon uses a timestamped, geotagged workflow that connects field monitoring, weather-station networks, ocean modeling and large soil and river chemistry datasets. The system is designed to reduce measurement uncertainty and standardize ERW monitoring across varied landscapes.
This scientific architecture is further strengthened through academic collaborations with the Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, and Ashoka University.
MOL Group Deepens Push Toward Net Zero
MOL General Manager Daisuke Fujihashi said the quick delivery showed Alt Carbon’s operational discipline. The deal supports MOL’s Blue Action 2035 plan, which aims for net-zero emissions by 2050 and a 45 percent reduction in emissions intensity by 2035.
“We’re determined to achieve net-zero GHG emissions by 2050 while assuring sustainable development for people, society and the Earth. This first generation of CDR improves our confidence in subsequent deliveries by Alt Carbon,” said Fujihashi, in the statement.
Isometric Certifies Asia’s First Enhanced Weathering Credits
Isometric CEO Eamon Jubbawy said the issuance marked a key moment for enhanced weathering. He noted growing demand for high–quality removal credits in global markets.
“This milestone marks an important step forward for enhanced weathering, demonstrating both its potential as a scalable climate solution and the growing demand for high-quality carbon removal,” said Jubbawy in the statement.
Alt Carbon’s buyers include Frontier, a Stripe–led coalition focused on early carbon removal. Other buyers include the NextGen CDR coalition, John Good Group and platforms such as CUR8, CEEZER and Watershed.
The voluntary carbon market has grown from $300 million to more than $10 billion in three years, according to industry estimates. Corporate buyers have risen from 400 to more than 600 in the past year.
India’s Emerging Climate Corridor With Japan
Beyond corporate demand, the deal also carries diplomatic weight for the Japan–India Climate Corridor. Alt Carbon President Sparsh Agarwal said the issuance strengthens this corridor and positions India to turn CO2 removal into a manufacturing and services opportunity as demand rises.
The deeptech firm aims to expand the project to more than 100,000 acres next year. It plans to work with over 25,000 farmers and roll out “Carbon Removal as a Service” across South Asia.
The company expects the expansion to increase carbon removal and strengthen climate resilience across farmland, advancing its goal of building “planetary intelligence,” a data-driven system designed to track ecosystem responses at a regional scale.
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